The inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 4,256,759, equivalent to European patent application No. 21,207 published Jan. 7, 1981, is directed to the antiinflammatory and antiarthritic .beta.-oxo-.alpha.-(optionally substituted phenylcarbamoyl) pyrrolepropionitriles. The prior published literature disclosed anilides of .alpha.-acetylcyanoacetic acid described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,061,767 and J. Am. Chem. Soc. 35, 959 (1913), as well as anilides of .alpha.-benzoylcyanoacetic acid as described in the last said reference.